


Orphic

by Little_Mins



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: First Dates, First Meetings, first lifes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27858513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Mins/pseuds/Little_Mins
Summary: “Which life is this for you ?”This was often a question asked as easily as ‘how old are you’ , those on their first lives were always seen as most valuable to society because nobody ,even themselves, knew what they were truly capable of , whether they’d be an artistic body or academic , they’d always surprise themselves and those who thrived around them.This is Sunwoo’s first life but he never expected his friends to want to know every little thing he did to see his capabilities day in and out.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Come scream at me on twitter @mochim6952 
> 
> This is my first ff and I'm terrified that I'll end up with writers block so if I seem inactive please use that as an excuse to come scream at me in comments here or on twitter ^~^
> 
> On that note, please enjoy ~

“Which life is this for you ?”

This was often a question asked as easily as ‘how old are you’ , those on their first lives were always seen as most valuable to society because nobody ,even themselves, knew what they were truly capable of , whether they’d be an artistic body or academic , they’d always surprise themselves and those who thrived around them.

This is Sunwoo’s first life but he never expected his friends to want to know every little thing he did to see his capabilities day in and out.

There was a way to know which life you were living if you’d lived more than once , delicate little markings placed themselves on your form , such as Sunwoo’s friend Chanhee ,living his second with a little upside-down cross on his pinky finger as an indicator of it ,for Sunwoo he had no markings to show a past life even though his wonder at anything new would give it away .

Choi Chanhee. One of Sunwoo’s close friends,bickering with him on the daily and always being supportive in a uniquely passive-aggressive way that just screamed Chanhee. 

The way they’d met was a bit of a cliche in a sense , at college, being in the same class and being paired on a project together ,deciding to bond over coffee before starting on the work , this however had proven a bit of a challenge.

“What do you mean you don’t know what you want ? Have you never been to a cafe in any of your lives before ? “ Chanhee groaned ,they’d gotten to the front of the queue and Sunwoo was yet to decide on a single one of the plethora of coffees you could get, who knew there were so many ? Let alone a whole world of coffee to discover alongside this world that he was still working to figure out ,as well as where he belonged.

“I’ve not had any lives before this Chanhee , this is my first life . “ He puffed cheeks out momentarily before grinning , “You choose for me ! “

That’s how they ended up sitting in a booth,both having tablets set on the table before them alongside their drinks , he hadn’t expected Chanhee to order and pay for the drinks before sitting down .  
The said male was now watching him,leaning gently on his hands with a curious look.

“So this is truly your first life ? How’d you figure that one out ?” He asked ,voice laced with curiosity . 

“Well for a start ,they say that those who’ve lived before can remember glimpses of their past lives even if it’s a fleeting moment ,right ? I’ve never had that , I’ve no markings of proof as a past life either. You’ve lived before haven’t you ? You have a little cross on your pinkie finger . “ Sunwoo tilted his head slightly.

“Yeah , this is my second life , I remember bits of my first though , big parties flash by sometimes. “ The elder smiled fondly , “Big ballrooms and many people enclosed within the walls , maybe I was a prince or someone of wealth~” He grinned lightly,sipping his drink, “You might want to drink that ,it’ll go cold if you don’t hurry up !” 

Sunwoo looked down at the cup he had between his hands ,  
“Ah yeah ,it might . “He laughed bashfully ,raising it to his lips ,nose scrunching up at the taste , “That’s really bitter ,how’d you drink that? “ He asked,trying to recover from the bitterness left on his tongue.

“I add sugar ,makes it sweeter~ “ The elder chuckled softly “Your reaction was really cute though , I feel a little bad not letting you know you can add sugar now , but it was worth it ~ How was your first cafe experience though ? “ He asked “You know,before we have to work on this project.”

“It’s nice here ,the smell is good but maybe I won’t have coffee again ,you just scarred me for life .” The younger snickered softly at the last part, admiring the look of mock distress on the other’s face. “I’m kidding, it was good , maybe tell me about sugar first next time ! “ He laughed ,putting the cup down and pushing it away .

“So shall we get to work? We can talk more after we finish it, right?” 

With that they set to working ,neither really caring all that much for the subject,or so they would project , the reality was that Sunwoo held so much wonder and excitement over each thing he learned throughout,no matter if it was something that didn’t hold significance to what the project was based on (Something related to history) but it piqued his interests to learn more about what others had experienced before him , Chanhee glancing up each time he let out a little gasp of excitement ,finding the younger kind of endearing,not that he’d admit it as they’d barely known of each others existence a day ago , but something about how Sunwoo reacted to this factors of history made him smile.

“What did you find out this time? “ He asked ,watching as the other read through an online page ,eyes lighting up and sparkling .

“In 18th century England , pineapples were a status of wealth !” The younger giggled.

“Pineapples - They’d have been expensive since they’d have to be imported ~” Chanhee smiled fondly ,watching as the other wrote down the fact he’d found.

“Would they have been expensive in your life before ?” He asked,tilting head ,red hair flopping over to fall with gravity as he did.

“I don’t remember,might have been ~ “ The other shrugged ,sipping the last of his drink whilst taking some further notes.

“I bet you’d have looked beautiful as you do now in that life,” Sunwoo hummed,not looking up from his notes as he complimented the other.

“I’m flattered really, but we only started talking today, besides I have a boyfriend~” Chanhee snickered softly reaching to flick the others forehead , “Let’s say we’re done today,it’s almost time for the cafe to close,I’ll walk you back home. “He chuckled,packing his things and watching the other male mimic the actions,hastily shoving his items into the bag, which had a little sun badge attached to it before standing,slinging it over his shoulder.

Orphic - Mysterious and entrancing ,beyond ordinary understanding.

The walk home was cloaked in a comfortable silence between the two , day was becoming dusk ,the two having studied for the project for hours without realising, streets becoming basked in a golden hue as the sun lowered,bringing the sky into a deep orange that had tinges of royal blues and purples on the skyline. 

Sunwoo drifted into his mind as they walked, wondering how he’d describe life as he experienced it for the first time . He settled on a single word,to match with his single life. Orphic. Life to him was orphic , he couldn’t wrap his head around it and learnt something new with each passing day ,not everything having a meaning behind that he could make sense of , but he decided to himself that it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t understand some minute detailing , he was happy ,especially when life was mysterious and entrancing to him ,it only drew him in further with a want to discover more as he lived on ,wondering what his first life would bring him in the coming years.

“Sunwoo , this is your place right? “ Chanhee asked,knocking him back into reality.

“Huh ? Oh yeah , thank you for the walk Chanhee,see you later. “He smiled ,taking keys out so that he could enter his home,staying at the door until Chanhee was out of sight,waving a farewell before closing the door behind him,smiling in content.

He was happy with life so far.


	2. Chapter 2

Atychiphobia . The fear of failure or not being good enough.

Sunwoo was never down with failure . It was his first life and he wanted to succeed in as many things as he could during it.

Naturally when he got his first low grade of his class it should have resulted in feeling inferior and disappointed in his efforts ,instead it only filled him with the urge to prove both his professor’s comment of ‘More effort required’ and himself wrong ,his mind already made up to go and study hard so that he’d increase his grade.

When the dismissal bell rang he let his feet guide himself to the library.For a college it was rather extravagant , shelves being high with books of varying sizes filling in the gaps, it being quite the sight , a few students flocking between shelves in search of books for various subjects. 

One of these students in particular was a tall male ,features having hauntingly cat-like appearance settled on his face ,matched to a startling shade of red hair,styled and showing off an undercut, which was bordered by the single inking of the Capricorn symbol -his representative star sign.  
Sunwoo stared at him for a while after entering ,watching as he picked up books,not being able to ignore his hands as he picked books out ,looking like they’d crush his from the distance he was at although seeming slender ,he knew that he was the captain of the rugby team so surely his hands would be worn due to constant playing ,or maybe he cared for them after each game - indulging in hand spas and running moisturizer over each vein,he managed to drag his gaze aware to put name to the face ,the name in question being Lee Juyeon , a heart-throb amongst the campus and almost always without fail having a flock of girls surrounding him that he’d sweet talk and entertain. Chanhee had made a point of saying that Juyeon hadn’t adjusted to it being his first life yet ,that he had anemoia - a nostalgia for a time that he’d never known - induced by the books that he would read in his free time for enjoyment, Sunwoo had laughed at first about it ,after all , how do you have a feeling of nostalgia for a time you’ve never lived in?  
Overtime ,as Sunwoo became closer to Juyeon he began to see why Chanhee had warned him about it , Juyeon would describe huge,extravagant scenes to the group during breaks ,not even realising himself that he’d never actually experienced what he described ,even when others would confront him in the politest way possible to try and explain that it couldn’t have been something he’d experienced as it was his first life,only further confirmed by the lack of inky markings on his skin that weren’t formed through an ink machine at a parlour.

“What do you mean it’s not something I’ve experienced? I can recall it in such detail,surely that’s proof enough that I’ve been there?” He’d protested.

Sunwoo was the unfortunate one who’d been coerced into the age-old conversation of telling him that what he spoke was false tales this time and god the look in Juyeon’s eyes made his heart plummet at having to talk to him on such a topic , all he could see was pure upset in shining brown orbs, matched to a wobbling bottom lip that was currently being chewed down on by nervous teeth as he led him towards a more enclosed space in the corner of the yard,a corner that was enclosed by willow trees ,the space behind the drooping branches being where Sunwoo had lead him ,it being private whilst still in plain sight , one of his favourite places to go when he wanted to be alone and non-existant to the world. 

He carefully sat Juyeon down before sitting opposite him with his back laid against the trunk,moulding to match its curve as he did so,finding comfort naturally from the amount of time he spent here , often with Jacob , sweet Jacob who would listen to anything and never judge you once no matter what it was ,a truly good friend for listening,Sunwoo wondered if he’d be able to be like him someday to help others ,and to find a soulmate ,as Jacob had done already , it being Kevin , the two were near inseparable and whatever Jacob knew, Kevin knew , they had no secrets anymore ,the last time they had it had resulted in a pretty impressive argument and Jacob staying at Sunwoo’s for several nights whilst looking absolutely miserable,not knowing why he’d lashed out so badly and how to fix his relationship back up ,which was eventually achieved by means of talking it all out ,which was harder done than said when you had Kevin refusing to listen and cutting you off every time you attempted to speak,nonetheless he’d managed it and the two were back to the insufferable clinginess and pet names.

“It’s your first life Juyeon ,you know that, like this is my first life as well. “ He murmured “I don’t want to hurt you but you’re going to harm yourself if you keep doing this ,the others said it stemmed from your avid reading ,maybe you could cut it down and it would ease, I don’t know.” 

He paused so that Juyeon could have a chance to reply if he had the desire to ,assessing over his features as his head hung down to hide the tears that trickled down his cheeks,dripping off of his chin in little pearls . 

“They,the others, said it was my turn to give this talk so I guess they’ve all taken turns in it before. “ He murmured,keeping his voice soft whilst meeting the others eyes ,using his hand to delicately tilt his chin up.

“Just because others have hundreds of years of history to themselves , it doesn’t mean you have to try and be like them , your first life is special you know ? Getting to experience everything for the first time ,you only get that once so make the most of it ,make it yours . “ 

He offered what he hoped was a hopeful smile.

Juyeon nodded slowly after a moment ,still nervously nibbling his lip.

“I just feel so happy getting to tell things like that,it makes me feel like I fit in better,” He whispered “I feel a deep connection with the scenes I describe ,so much so that it feels like it was part of me in the past. “ 

“I know,I know but you can’t keep doing this , think of it this way , soulmates match with each other in terms of which life they’re on right? You’ll fit in with them when you find them because it’ll be the same life. “

Sunwoo smiled gently,offering the elder a hug ,which was gratefully accepted,the other’s face being buried into Sunwoo’s shoulder despite him having to bend over to do so.

“Thank you Sunwoo,you’ve said less than any of the others but spoke volumes within what you said . “He mumbled into the mass below his lips.

“Yeah yeah,shall we go and rejoin the others ,they’re probably worried that I’ve hurt you or something . “He said jokingly,pushing the other off of him as they joined arms to walk back to the group ,who were now happily chattering away with each other in their absence. 

“What did we miss ? “ Sunwoo asked,taking his place again,noting that Kevin was happily kissing Jacob whilst perched in the other’s lap and Younghoon was clinging to Chanhee,that wasn’t new either,the two were inseparable - Chanhee being querencia to him , where he drew his character from and where he felt safe , he was a different person around Chanhee compared to the near silent observer that he became when apart from him .

“You missed absolutely nothing , the lovers are just eating each other's faces but you know ,that’s the usual ,nothing new . “Chanhee grinned devilishly whilst holding his other half close to him , “and my Hoonie being absolutely adorable but don’t even think about laying a finger on him,he’s mine . “ He hummed,squeezing the elder and drawing a soft squeak from him in doing so,automatically loosening his grip with a rush of apologies. 

“Yep ,missed nothing at all. “Sunwoo laughed,sipping the drink he’d left unfinished ,admiring the group of beings that he could quite proudly call his friends,trying not to focus too much on the couples as it made his heart tighten ,wanting to be able to have someone to call his even though it was only twenty years into his first existence and it could take multiple lifetimes for the red thread of fate to shorten enough so that soulmates could find each other when the time was right within time and space of the universe.  
Sometimes he wished it would just hurry up so that he didn’t experience all of his firsts alone , he dreaded that thought,a shudder being sent down his spine at it ,knowing that some people never found their soulmate - Sangyeon was still searching for his and it was his eighth life now , he couldn’t go that long without a soulmate, he didn’t share the same kind of patience that his elder did, eight lives alone would be torture to anyone but to him it would be a looped nightmare that kept him caged in .

“Come on, red thread of fate , hurry up and let me find my special someone. “He whispered,unknowing that in a cafe just opposite the campus , another male had uttered the exact same words , only strengthening the string and confirming to the world that the two belonged together as long as their multiple lives would last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come scream at me on twitter @mochim6952


	3. Chapter 3

Lacuna (n) : A blank space , a missing part

Haknyeon had been staring blankly at the coffee set in front of him for half an hour now,it cooling before his gaze,which was absent from the scene in front of him as he thought about what he’d been told just an hour before he wound up in the booth.  
Paramnesia.That’s what they said he had , his past lives becoming mixed into his current one and causing a blur between his past and his reality.  
It was rare.That’s what he’d been told , the only way that it could be helped was through finding his soulmate but he couldn’t help but feel bad that someone else would have to put up with it on his behalf, he didn’t want to put his soulmate through the struggles of it.   
“Why can’t this red thread hurry up ,just so I can apologise for being like this.”He mumbled. 

“They don’t deserve this at all”

He stared out the window longingly,watching as others went on through life ,tilting head to lean on his hand ,he’d withdrawn himself from his friend group due to feeling as though he burdened them with his condition.

“Haknyeon!” A voice drew him from his thoughts,instinctively looking over to the voice,instantly regretting the action as he saw his old friend latched to the arm of a taller male ,Hyunjae. 

Hyunjae ,legally Jaehyun, and the male he knew from a previous life -Lee Sangyeon. Both having honey coloured skin matched to blonde hues for hair. Hyunjae seemed to utter something to the latter before dancing over to Haknyeon delicately. 

“It’s been too long,how’ve you been going on?” He asked “Anything on why you kept becoming lost in another life?” His head tilted as Haknyeon studied him closely.

“Yeah , paramnesia. I don’t want to burden anyone with it so I’m just coping with it myself,you’re still close to the group I’m assuming?” He responded carefully,subconsciously fiddling with his hands as he did so.

“Yeah , we all miss you ,and we have a new addition,he’s called Sunwoo and it’s his first life! It’s so cute when his eyes light up at finding out something new or experiencing a first time , he’s really innocent,I think you’d get along with him. “ His former,but still kind of, friend exclaimed. 

“Would I ? Would he be able to like me when I’m like this?” He asked meekly,looking up at the elder with wide eyes,hope glinting in them.

“Yeah, but you’re never going to find out if you stay there and mope over what they said,so come and join us now ~ !”

Haknyeon let out a soft groan as he let himself be pulled away from his seat ,coffee in hand , by the elder, letting out a soft sound of protest that was quickly dismissed by the one dragging him ,grip just a bit too tight around his wrist but he couldn’t bring himself to complain about it ,after all , he had neglected his friends for too long by distancing himself ,of course there was only so many excuses that could be made before they got suspicious , he figured that he might as well give it up now before it escalated further with them questioning every time he turned down an offer to meet up.   
“Wait up Hyunjae ! You’ll forget our drinks and me !” Sangyeon’s voice rang behind them ,the figure having two carton holders with drinks in ,presumably for the group.

“I don’t care, you have legs ,you know where we are, you can easily walk without me for the sake of ten minutes~!” The latter laughed ,eyes creasing up and teeth showing as he did .

“You little brat ,you’re so in for it when we get home.” The elder growled lowly ,though still held a softness in his eyes , Sangyeon had never been good at faking anger. 

“Yeah but you’re fucking hot when you’re like this~” Hyunjae chimed as Haknyeon realised just how much he had missed the two ,their bickering was almost a living comedy sometimes,though it always ended in them cuddling or something undisclosed through a ‘we’ll be heading home now,thank you for a good time’ . 

“ ‘Fucking hot’ my ass Hyunjae, you’re an utter brat. ” Sangyeon snickered as the three walked the streets to a park , rolling greens and a short difference away , a group of seven all sat in a circle, a couple of them sprawled on top of other figures laps. 

“Ah , the couples.” He breathed “Still touchy as ever I see~” He grinned cheekily , seeming to forget the news that made him mope just twenty minutes before ,falling into his ‘public’ facade of bubbly cheekiness.

“Hey ! Look who finally showed his face after months of being busy!” The pink haired male in the group called , the one in his lap seeming to startle at the sudden noise,resulting in a uttered ‘Sorry Hoonie’ and a pout of the taller in his lap.

“Haknyeon!” A body collided into him at full speed ,knocking him off his feet.

“Eric?” He questioned,wincing as his head hit the ground. 

“You remember me !” The voice cheered as he sat up ,looking up .

“Of course I do ,energetic as ever ~ Oh ? You dyed your hair !” Haknyeon chuckled “Suits you.” 

The male he remembered had bubblegum pink hair ,a sight that never missed your eye , but that was gone and had been replaced by bleached roots that faded into a deep blue . 

“Yeah I did , Chanhee helped, do you like it? Looks good right?” He asked eagerly,seeking compliments of any sort.

“It does,really it suits you.”He reiterated ,pushing himself off the floor , “You owe me coffee. ”He huffed,looking at the spilt drink that was seeping into the grass.

“Lighten up~ I’ve not seen you in months !” The younger whined,dragging him over to the group,who all greeted him energetically after such a long time as he sat between Juyeon and Hyunjae,who’d settled on his other’s lap and started sipping his drink.

Haknyeon looked over the group intently,taking in all the changes before his eyes landed on the single male who hadn’t uttered a word since his arrival. Dressed simply in all black ,but pulling it off like a model ,his eyes deep brown and sparkling as he took in the surroundings ,plush lips slightly agape in wonder as he did so. 

He didn’t realise he was staring until their eyes locked ,neither looking away ,not even out of bashfulness,just taking each other in silently,drawn to each other in a way beyond what could be explained so far.

Soulmates.

It had been found over time that true soulmates only formed when they were in the same life, two people in their first life would be destined to be soulmates but if one was in their third whilst the other in the first then they would never be “true” soulmates. The reasoning behind this had been lost years ago but it still circulated like a lost legend. 

Jacob and Kevin were a perfect example of true soulmates, always together and laughing, their bond had grown strong enough that they had moments where they could tell something was wrong with the other no matter how far from each other they were.

Jacob had once been visiting family in Canada and Kevin stayed behind , missing the other and feeling lost without him,not sleeping well without the warmth of another body beside him, Jacob had felt this and called Kevin every night til he fell asleep ,even if the time difference made it insanely hard to do,with 9pm being 9am for the one in Canada and said one not being a morning person in the slightest.

They were willing to risk their lives for each other which was really cute to the others as they were touchy ,inseparable and made some great times for the others through their dorkiness and lack of regard for other people around them,pet names having become permanent much to the others complaints of ‘keep it in the bedroom I’m begging’ . 

Something about the male he’d made eye contact with just felt right ,Haknyeon could feel sparks down his spine.

“Is that a soulmate bond happening?”Hyunjae whispered to Sangyeon ,wenquiring about the two starstruck males.

“Couldn’t be surely,they’re on different lives.”The latter murmured softly,playfully nipping the other’s lobe.

“Stop playing around with me.” Hyunjae huffed.

“Are we staring for a reason?” The new male asked,tilting head .

“Ah no , I’ve not seen you before ,sorry , uh I’m Haknyeon ,I’ve not been around for a while. ” Haknyeon offered a dorky grin.

“Sunwoo.” The other said lowly “I joined the friend group through the inseparables.” He gestured to Chanhee and Younghoon.

“Oh they’re still like that ? Nothing new , sorry if you deal with them everyday like I used to.”He chuckled.

“We are not inseparable ,Hoonie just doesn’t like being without me that’s all.”Chanhee grumbled,hugging the other closer to him.

“Sure , that’s why you’re hugging him closer~ Maybe it’s you who doesn’t like being without him ~”

“Shut your mouth Haknyeon,god, you come back for two minutes and already get on at us for cuddling.” Chanhee groaned,burying face in Younghoon’s neck , who looked quite confused,eyes wide as he looked around the group.

“This feels like home already, just one big family .”Haknyeon grinned softly ,“I missed you guys,don’t let me drift again,I’ll never forgive you .” He said cheekily .

“Got it ~ I will drag you to our next meeting~” Juyeon chimed in ,having been listening more than speaking .

“Thank you Juyeon , knew I could count on you.” Haknyeon cheered softly, though his gaze fluttered back to Sunwoo ,feeling his cheeks tint pink with blood rush as he realised the other male had been staring the whole time.

Maybe his wish for the red thread had been heard and presented in the form of Kim Sunwoo, something that he had no intention of complaining about. 

“So tell us how you’ve been these past months,must’ve been busy if you couldn’t mae time for your besties. “ Eric grinned widely. 

So Haknyeon told his story of the months , the work he'd done , the diagnosis he'd received. Even though as he did ,his gaze focused around Sunwoo.

What if he was his lacuna?


End file.
